School District Backs Down from Plan to Hide Student Abortions

Sacramento, CA – At a packed school board meeting last night, the San Juan Unified School District reversed course and voted 3-2 not to go forward with a proposal to hide information from parents about student absences for so-called "confidential medical services," such as abortions.

After Pacific Justice Institute learned two weeks ago that the school board was quietly moving to exclude parents, PJI sounded the alarm and sent a legal opinion letter to the Board warning of potential liability for failing to inform parents about their children's whereabouts.

PJI President Brad Dacus addressed the Board last night. He commented, "We are pleased that the San Juan school board listened to the community and abandoned this disastrous proposal. This is a victory for everyone who believes in parental responsibility and local control of school decisions."

Pacific Justice Institute recently assisted parents in Modesto in defeating a very similar proposal. PJI is currently working with community leaders in Thousand Oaks to ensure that the school board respects parents' rights to be informed when their children leave school for any reason.

Many school districts throughout California have policies that prevent parents from finding out whether their children have left school for serious medical treatments or counseling. Parents seeking more information about changing such policies should contact Pacific Justice Institute. With four offices and more than 500 affiliate attorneys on the West Coast, PJI is ready to go head-to-head with any school district that maintains anti-parent policies in defiance of community values.